Green Card Update: Trump Admin Blocks Tech Companies From H-1B PERM Program

Key Points:

• The Trump administration, led by Vice President JD Vance, has suspended several tech companies, including Microsoft and Adobe, from applying for green cards through the PERM program, citing concerns over job displacement of American workers and alleged abuse of the H-1B visa system.
• Microsoft was specifically criticized for laying off 6,000 American workers while simultaneously benefiting from over 6,000 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards in the past year, a move Vance described as replacing American workers with foreign labor.
• The Department of Labor also suspended IT outsourcing firms such as Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL, and Capgemini from the green card process, with ongoing federal investigations cited as reasons for Microsoft and Adobe's suspensions.
• The PERM program requires employers to certify that no qualified American workers are available for a position before sponsoring foreign workers for green cards, but critics argue the process can be manipulated, while supporters say it provides stability to high-skilled immigrant workers and their families.
• The announcement received mixed reactions: immigration reform advocates praised the move as a necessary step to protect American jobs, while critics, including the Cato Institute, warned it could harm both companies and immigrant workers by limiting legal pathways to permanent residency.